


Bad Memories

by Small_Hobbit



Series: Twelve Days of Christmas [9]
Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-03
Updated: 2014-01-03
Packaged: 2018-01-07 08:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1117646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_Hobbit/pseuds/Small_Hobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Driving back to Oxford, Lewis and Hathaway are stranded by the snow</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bad Memories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ariadnes_string](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariadnes_string/gifts).



“The snow seems to be getting heavier,” Lewis remarked.

The windscreen wipers were going constantly now and he was aware that the snow was starting to lay despite the traffic driving along the road.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Hathaway replied.

“Not your fault, lad.  You may be responsible for many things, but I’m not aware that you have any more control over the weather than I do.”

“If I hadn’t got us lost on the way to interview Thursloe we would have left sooner and we’d be almost back in Oxford by now.”

“You followed the map we had been given.  You weren’t to know that it wasn’t accurate.”

“I should have insisted we bring the sat nav.”

“Which would have got us as far as my map reading did.  ‘The third cottage, with a red door, after the road forks at the horse chestnut tree that was struck by lightning’ isn’t the easiest of destination to put into a sat nav.  Especially when it was ten years ago that the lightning struck and the tree’s made a pretty good recovery since.”

Lewis swore as he felt the car slide on the road.  He stopped talking to concentrate on driving.

By now the snow was coming down quite heavily and the wind had picked up.  They rounded a bend and the back of the car slid again.  Lewis tried to control the slide, but the front went into a bank of snow that had been blown down the hill.  He put the car into reverse and slowly backed out, finding just sufficient traction to manoeuvre, so that he was facing the way they had come from.

“What are you doing?”  There was a note of panic in Hathaway’s voice.

“There’s no way we can get up the hill, so we’ll have to go back.”

Lewis drove carefully back round the bend, conscious that Hathaway was gripping the seat tightly.  It soon became apparent that they weren’t going to be able to get far in that direction either, so Lewis stopped the car and switched off the engine.  Hathaway opened the car door.

“Where are you going?” Lewis asked.

“I can’t stay here, I’ll walk back.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.  I’ll text Innocent to let her know what’s happened and we’ll have to wait.”

Hathaway continued getting out of the car.

“I’m not stopping.”

“Yes, you are.  It would be madness to try to walk anywhere.  You’ll be far safer in the car.”

“I don’t care.”

“That is an order, sergeant.”

Reluctantly Hathaway got back in and sat with his face pressed up against the car window.  Lewis sent his text, grateful that there was sufficient mobile coverage to be able to do so.  The he, in his turn, got out of the car.

“Don’t leave me!”  The panic in Hathaway’s voice was unmistakeable.

“I’m not leaving you, you daft sod.  There are blankets in the boot, plus a flask of coffee and various bits I picked up from the supermarket this morning.  I had thought we could stop at the picnic site on the way back.  I must admit I hadn’t expected the snow before tomorrow, but at least we won’t starve.”

“You promise?”

“Of course.”

Lewis pushed the blankets through onto the back seat and then brought the thermos and the carrier bag full of shopping to the front.  He passed the thermos to Hathaway and instructed him to pour them both a cup of coffee, whilst he looked in the carrier bag.

“Sausage roll or pork pie?” he asked.

They ate in companionable silence.  Once they’d finished what they wanted Lewis packed the remains back into the carrier bag, since they didn’t know how long they would be stuck in the snow.  He pulled the blankets forward and once he had passed one to Hathaway he wrapped himself in the other.

“Now,” he said, “Why don’t you tell me what provoked you to say you were going to walk.”

“One year, when I was a kid, I was out with my father when we broke down.  There was snow on the ground, but that wasn’t why the car stopped.  My father said he’d have to walk to get help, but that I had to stay in the car, as he could go much faster without me.  I waited for hours until he eventually came back with the help.  I was petrified, waiting on my own in the dark.  I found out later that he’d walked to a local pub, sat there drinking until closing time, and only then got a couple of his mates to come and give him a tow.”

“And you thought history was going to repeat itself.”

“Yes.”  The memory was clearly still strong because Hathaway began to shake.

“Daft lad.  Come here!”

Lewis stuck an arm out and pulled Hathaway towards himself, hugging the younger man.

“I’d never leave you, so don’t start getting ideas like that.”

His phone vibrated with an incoming text.

“That was Innocent to say there’s a snow plough on its way.  And now the snow’s stopped falling it won’t be too long before we’re on our way again.”

 


End file.
